Services News

COAST GUARD AT PORTSMOUTH CELEBRATES MILITARY FAMILIES THROUGH TOY DISTRIBUTIONS

Military families, especially the children, are under a lot of stress. Multiple deployments of one or both parents for extended periods of separation can have a profound impact on our military’s youth. Recognizing the sacrifices that our military family makes to the security of our Nation, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and the Toy Industry Foundation teamed up with the Coast Guard to host a toy distribution at Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, Virginia.

The toys were a gift from the Toy Industry Foundation’s signature program, The Toy Bank.” Through the “Play Comforts” partnership, the TIF provided these toys from hundreds of generous toy manufacturers to the BGCA for distribution on military bases across the country. According to Jean Butler, the Executive Director of the Toy Industry Foundation, “The Toy Industry Foundation is deeply committed to giving back to our military families who have given so much for our country.” Terrill Wicks, Vice President of Military Services and International projects for the BGCA said, “We appreciate the Toy Industry Foundation’s contributions and commitment to our military families.” Curtis Byrd, Chesapeake District Representative to The Honorable J. Randy Forbes (Fourth District, Virginia) was on hand to thank the military members for their sacrifices and to the BGCA and TIF for helping take care of our military children. Sandy Hardison, the MWR Director at this Coast Guard installation was pleased to be given the opportunity to host the event!

So any day really becomes a good day to distribute toys to military children, but on March 25, 2010, during the National Boys & Girls Club Week and right before April, the month of the military child, over 250 military members and their families from all branches of the Armed Services converged on the Base Portsmouth gymnasium for this toy distribution. The event was planned by Sandy Hardison, MWR Director of the Personnel Services and Support Unit Portsmouth and her team of volunteers who did a superb job of keeping hundreds of wide-eyed, awestruck children occupied as they picked the toys of their choosing from over 1,000 toys available through this generous program.

At the end of the event as the families departed with happy children carrying their toys and after having enjoyed a snack, The Toy Industry Foundation, The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the Coast Guard knew that for this brief afternoon, they made a positive impact on the lives of our military children through an event that won’t soon forget.

COAST GUARD AIR STATION BORINQUEN HOSTS WOUNDED WARRIORS It was almost a year to the day that Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen hosted a group of Wounded Warriors participating in the Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba (SUDS) program. A year later, the command once again jumped at the opportunity to once again participate in this program! In August 2009, this Coast Guard Air Station played host to six Wounded Warriors from the Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force, from both the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, DC, and the Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, TX. This year, the SUDS co-founder, Daniel Facciola, accompanied by his support team, lead these six Service members in the SUDS program to enjoy Scuba in the warm waters of western Puerto Rico. SUDS, under the auspices of the Wounded Warrior Project and the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), is designed to help improve the lives of injured service men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. By training these heroes in a challenging and rewarding activity, SUDS can help facilitate the rehabilitation process and promote mobility. Offering this venue also provides the military member with a sport they can enjoy throughout their life. During the four days in Puerto Rico, the group enjoyed off shore, open water diving and some much appreciated rest and relaxation. When not actively engaged in diving, the group enjoyed touring the local beaches, boogie boarding, and dinner with new found Coast Guard friends! Captain Melvin Bouboulis, Commanding Officer of this Coast Guard unit and his Executive Officer, CDR Tony Hahn, have been steadfast supporters of this program and the command’s ability to make a difference in the lives of these returning heroes. As part of their stay, the command hosted a base-wide “Meet and Greet,” where local base residents from all Services and other federal agencies, including their children, could meet and mingle with their guests. A day before the group’s scheduled departure from Puerto Rico, the local All Spouses Club of Borinquen delivered a little piece of “rural Americana” to their new friends by making gift baskets consisting of homemade baked goods, local fruits, mementoes of their visit, and hand crafted “hero” cards, thanks to the assistance of the children! This warm welcome, coupled with the charm of the youth, made it difficult for both participants and hosts alike to keep a “dry eye.” Once again as Blair Markham, MWR Director at the Coast Guard Air Station and the one instrumental in the command’s involvement with this program tells it, it still remains difficult to determine who got the most from the visit, the guests or the hosts.

COAST GUARD PRESS RELEASE Commanding Officer                                                                 CG Community Services Command 870 Greenbrier Circle, Suite 502                                                                                Chesapeake, VA 23320 CDR                                                                       Date: 26 MAR 2009 On Thursday, March 26, 2009, at 10:00 a.m., the Coast Guard Exchange System and Morale, Well-Being and Recreation (MWR) program merged to form the Coast Guard Community Services Command (CSC) during a Unit Establishment Ceremony at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia. The establishment of the CSC marked the completion of the standup of the Coast Guard Personnel Service Center (PSC). The PSC was the last of five Coast Guard Logistics Service Centers to be established in support of the Coast Guard’s modernization efforts. The Aviation Logistics Center; the Surface Forces Logistics Center; the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Information Technology Service Center; and the Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center were previously established. The CSC will be overseeing Coast Guard-wide delivery of Exchange and MWR services. The command is comprised of 900 personnel managing the Coast Guard’s non-pay compensation benefit programs supporting readiness and retention, and Coast Guard mission execution. The CSC will:       • Manage 70 Coast Guard Exchanges providing goods and services that provide a cost savings to Coast Guard members, generating more than $135M per year in revenues, providing profits that are distributed to MWR programs across the Coast Guard;      • Provide pay and personnel services to all Coast Guard nonappropriated fund (NAF) employees;      • Oversee policy guidance, direction, and oversight to all Coast Guard MWR programs, including Child Development Centers;      • Act as the support manager and interface for Coast Guard NAF information systems including CG NAF networks and point-of-sale systems. Most importantly, the CSC will be the Coast Guard Center of Excellence for NAF operations, a “one-stop-shop” for all Coast Guard NAF services and requirements to ensure non-pay compensation programs effectively meet the needs of the Coast Guard as they move into the 21st century. Capt Edward Eng, Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Community Services Command said, “Today, we will turn a page and begin a new chapter in the history of the vital non-pay compensation program for the men, women, and families of the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard’s Community Services Command will continue to deliver the high quality good and services that our members and families have earned. It is and always will be the duty of the Coast Guard Community Services Command to” serve those who protect the homeland.” For More Information Contact: Gavin Wente: 757-420-4280 ext 3008

COAST GUARD HOSTS INTERNATIONAL MILITARY SPORTS MEETING

Several years of planning came to fruition in February 2009, when the United States hosted the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM), North and South Continental Planning meeting at Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, in Puerto Rico.

CISM is an international military sports organization, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, that has over 130-member nations. CISM’s motto, “Friendship Through Sports,” is manifested through the organization of military sporting events held in different regions of the world. Every four years, these tiered sports competitions culminate in the Military World Games. The last games were held in Hyberabad, India where over 5,000 athletes from over 100 nations competed in sporting events, making the Military World Games, the second largest sporting event next to the Olympics! The next Games will be hosted by Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, in 2011.

Several years ago, the CISM member nations on the North and South American continents asked the Armed Forces Sports Council Secretariat, the office responsible to coordinate United States involvement in international military sports competition, if the United States would be willing to host the 2009 Continental meeting in the Caribbean, making it easy for most nations to attend as cost was a factor. With a prime location in Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard volunteered to host the event and with the approval of the Armed Forces Sports Council, a group comprised of the MWR/Services chiefs from all five military Services responsible under OSD policy in overseeing US military sports involvement, plans were underway to host the first-ever US-based Continental meeting!

Invitations went out to the 16 CISM member nations on the North and South American continents. At the end, over 20 delegates from 9 countries would participate in these meetings including delegated from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Barbados, Chile, Ecuador, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Additionally, BG Gianni Gola, CISM President from Italy, and Colonel Walter Van Velthoven, CISM Treasurer General from Belgium, travelled from Europe to participate in these meetings. BG Gola would go on to leave from these meetings to brief SOUTHCOM staff in Florida regarding the missions of CISM and their impacts on friendship through sports.

This was the first time that the Continental meeting was hosted on United States soil. Under the guidance of the United States Sports Council Secretariat, Mr. Suba Saty, LT Paul Coleman, MWR Officer at Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, and Mr. Blair Markham, the MWR Director, coordinated, planned, and executed a rigorous week-long agenda that included CISM meetings and other events that exposed the attendees to the United States Coast Guard and the culture of Puerto Rico, including trips to local beaches and shopping malls! CAPT Melvin Bouboulis, the Air Station’s Commanding Officer, hosted a welcoming party for all of his visitors with the officers and senior enlisted personnel attached to the command. This event featured authentic, live Puerto Rican music and food and drink made possible through a commercial sponsorship with Anheuser-Busch. During the week, the CISM attendees were also provided a tour and brief of the Air Station’s flight area, including an opportunity to see a Coast Guard rescue helicopter, “up close and personal,” and they had an opportunity to talk with the pilots and air crews, including the rescue swimmers, who fly these aircraft in support of Coast Guard missions in the area.

The week culminated in the traditional CISM closing ceremonies presided over by the unit’s commanding officer. After that, the CISM delegates were treated to a Coast Guard search and rescue demonstration at the beach adjacent to the Air Station.

By all accounts, the CISM meetings were highly successful. CISM delegates were able to not only conduct their business in the planning of future international military sporting events in the region, but also further the CISM motto of “friendship through sports.” But in addition to that, the United States through the Armed Forces Sports Council and the United States Coast Guard was able to treat our foreign visitors to American and Puerto Rican hospitality, further demonstrated the power of the armed forces sports program in promoting friendship through the world.

Themed Bunco Nights Headed to Army MWR Spots

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Bunco nights will be offered at select Army Clubs or Food and Beverage locations to authorized patrons this spring, as a Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command promotion called “It’s Bunco Time!”
In 2008, more than 4,500 players took part in “It’s Bunco Time!” parties Army-wide. While traditionally a ladies night out – Bunco began as a family parlor game – many locations participating in the 2008 promotion had men turn out to play as well.

This year, prizes will appeal to both guys and gals, and anyone over 18 is welcome to join in the fun. The three-month promotion kicks off in March and runs through the end of May. Bunco is easy to learn and play; beginners are welcome.

Themes this year are Indulgence Night, Gourmet Night and Entertainment Night. Prizes will include gift cards from: Williams-Sonoma, iGourmet.com, SpaFinder.com, Bath & Body Works, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble.
In addition to gift cards, there will be smaller prizes for early registrants and drawings between games. On Entertainment Night, lucky winners at each installation will take home an 8-gigabyte iPod Nano or an MP3 player.
For specific dates and times of “It’s Bunco Time!” at your installation, visit www.mwrpromotions.com or check your local MWR calendar.

The Bunco night promotion is being conducted in partnership with the World Bunco Association, Brown-Forman Beverages (Gentleman Jack and Southern Comfort brands) and the Defense Commissary Agency. For more information about the game, including a complete set of rules and common terminology used during play, visit www.worldbunco.com.

For more information, contact:
William Bradner
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
Family and MWR Command
william.bradner@us.army.mil  

Patriot Club, Dragon Hill Lodge, Lagenbruck Center Win Catering Awards Written by William Bradner Deputy Public Affairs Officer Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command officials have announced the winners of the 2008 Catering Awards, to be presented Feb. 22, 2009, at the Catersource/Event Solution Conference in Las Vegas. The Best MWR Catered Event award (prepared for a client) will be presented to the Fort Sill Patriot Club for support to the International Artillery Symposium on Aug. 4-7, 2007. The Best MWR Special Event (hosted by MWR to generate revenue)award will be presented to the team at the Dragon Hill Lodge in Yongsan, Korea, for their Oktoberfest celebration. In a new category added in 2008, the award for the Best Implementation of a Family and MWR Command event will be presented to the Lagenbruck Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany, for their implementation of the FMWRC Bunco promotion. "The past two years we've placed an even greater emphasis on our military catering program," said Rich Gorman, Chief Operations Officer for the Family and MWR Command. He applauded the award initiative as an excellent opportunity to recognize catering and event programming— a critical part of the financial success of MWR Operations. "Catering personnel have attended the world-class Catersource Conference, where they've been inspired by industry leaders who demonstrate what's hip and creative while reinforcing bottom-line goals," Gorman said. "We've introduced the Army 5-Star Catering Program, we've quadrupled the number of entries in this competition, and our catering revenues have grown into a $30 million a year business." Forty-six entries were reviewed, and the winners selected by a panel of event, catering and marketing professionals at the Family & MWR Command (FMWRC). According to Gorman, all the entries were first class events that demonstrated innovative programs and creative catering capabilities offered to Soldiers and their Families. Judges were impressed with the Fort Sill entry by the logistics required to host senior leaders from the Middle East, including: education on proper menu and protocol issues; providing menus in English and Arabic; carpeted rooms set aside to meet prayer needs; multiple events including in-club and off-site events; impressive food displays; formal and casual functions; and appropriate entertainment. The Dragon Hill event was an authentic celebration for 54,000 Active Duty service members, Family members and civilians in Korea, that included German music, schnitzels and sauerbraten, pretzels and strudels, brotchen and bratwurst hot off the grill. Held under a large blue & white striped tent erected on the upper level of the parking garage. The four-night event generated $25,607 in net profit. Judges were impressed with not only the event itself, but the wide range of fall activities that made up the celebration. The staff executed the pre-event details to make sure word got out; with the hotel staff "dressed for the event" and Bavarian music playing over the hotel sound system, it was hard not to notice the festival. The four-day event also included: a 5-kilometer Volksmarch; a community yard sale; a community Fall Festival Parade; and a Classic Car Show. Marketing was extensive, from an "Oktoberfest Tease" booth selling Oktoberfest food and beverages with an Oktoberfest backdrop in front of the hotel to mailers sent to all the Embassies in Seoul, along with in-house lobby displays and an in-house video. The new category was added in 2008 to recognize the installation with the most creative and effective implementation of an FMWRC-sponsored special event or promotion. The Langenbruck Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany walked away with the award by building on the "It's Bunco Time" promotion that ran in April, May and June of 2008. The Grafenwoehr MWR staff hosted monthly Bunco events to bring people into a facility that was struggling financially because 50 percent of its patrons were deployed. Each month the number of Bunco players and the club's revenues increased. In July, they offered "Vegas Night," complete with an Elvis impersonator. In August they hosted "Vacation Night" and transformed the sports bar into a paradise getaway. "Halloween Bunco" in October featured the staff in costumes and the island paradise transformed into a haunted house. The judges were impressed with the community partnerships demonstrated: from CYS providing free child care to the donated themed décor, buffets and centerpieces. Prizes were bowling coupons, Java Café mugs and coupons, gift cards from ITR vendors and Army Recreation Machine Program (ARMP) Multi-player online games (MPOG) cards. Two winners from each of the winning installations will receive a funded trip to the Catersource/Event Solutions Conference in Feb. in Las Vegas, where they will be officially recognized and have the opportunity to brief other Army catering managers about their events. The winning packages are listed online at www.mwrpromotions.org.